Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard would relish the return of former manager Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, believing it would be a "great thing for the club".

With current interim boss Rafael Benitez set to leave the Blues at the end of the season, Lampard was quick to offer praise to the 'Special One', stating the Portuguese tactician was one of the world's best managers.

"I think it would be a great thing for the club," Lampard said. "He is a successful manager and he would be a great thing for any club.

"It's hard to comment with the season still ongoing and with the manager not here or chosen yet. It would be easy to speculate.

"I have seen speculation before and a completely different manager walks through the door so you never know on that front. But he is certainly one of the greatest if not the greatest manager in world football."

Lampard, who sits just one goal shy of Bobby Tambling's all-time record for the West London club, is out of contract in the summer but remained coy on whether a Mourinho return would prompt the club to offer him an extension.

"I've always said that I wanted to spend all of my career here so I think everyone knows that," Lampard said. "I honestly don't know [whether Mourinho's return would help my cause].

"We have got two weeks that will decide whether our season has been a successful one or not. That is the main focus."

Mourinho spent three successful years at Chelsea, steering Lampard and co to two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup before leaving the club in September 2007.

"I have got nothing but admiration for him," Lampard said. "I think he was, for the period of time he did it, the greatest. A lot of managers, the Jose Mourinho's of this world, are making a play for that and they have to do it as long as Fergie has.

"He has been incredible as a man that has run the club, his desire to get the best out of players, to keep evolving the team - what he has done is a complete one off We are competitive with Man United, we want to beat them and fans don't like them, but with Sir Alex Ferguson maybe you have to look up and say what a great man and manager he is."